Myanmar has the third highest number of writers arrested worldwide

In Myanmar, writers, A total of 26 arrests of academics and academics have been made, the third highest in the world, PEN America said in a statement today.

The highest number of arrests was made in 2021, when the military took power.

In 2021, eight writers were arrested in Burma, ranking ninth.

According to the PEN America Freedom of Writing Index, China has 85 arrested writers and scholars, making it the highest-arrested country in the world. Saudi Arabia came in second with 29. Myanmar came in third with 26.

Freedom of expression in Burma has plummeted since the military coup on February 1, with a series of legal sanctions, including by writers and scholars. Public educators, including those under surveillance, They are threatened and their freedom of speech is restricted.

According to the PEN America Freedom of Writing Index, 277 writers were arrested this year in 36 countries around the world, up from 273 last year.

In the 10 days before Thingyan, 99 people were arrested across the country

According to data compiled by RFA, from April 1 to 10, 10 days before Thingyan, Rangoon, A total of 99 people were arrested in Mandalay and Myawaddy in Kayin State.

The detainees were 47 from Rangoon; 43 from Mandalay and nine from Myawaddy in Kayin State; A total of   99 people. Some of the detainees were ground protesters, while others were accused of being Rangoon-based guerrilla groups and PDFs.

A total of 15 people, including Ma Thiri Wai alias Ma Wai, the mother of three-year-old Maung Thant Phone Wai Yan, who was arrested from a pre-school in Ahlone Township on April 5, were arrested with explosives, the military council said yesterday.

 A member of the PBYSC and Botataung Township Youth Strike Committee (PBYSC) told RFA that the movement of revolutionary forces in Rangoon before Thingyan  has intensified and that the military council is under tight security and arrests.

" In the past, if you had a comrade with you, you still had time to avoid it . Now , if you have a comrade with you, you have to pay more attention to the situation where you are fleeing .                            It 's very happening . "

In Mandalay, Nyein Chan Aung, a member of the Mandalay Strike Committee, told RFA that the army had arrested young protesters during a pre-Thingyan operation.

" We are conducting operational arrests , closing towns as soon as we get information . If one person is caught, he is immediately interrogated . If he is not found , he is beaten , tortured and interrogated .                         

He said that on February 12, 2022, Diamond Jubilee Union Day and March 27 Revolution Day, the  military council used various means to clear the area inside Mandalay to tighten security.

"If someone is caught, they are immediately interrogated. If they are not caught, they are beaten and tortured."     

Army informants and Pyu Saw Htee members were also on the ground in areas where ground strikes and urban guerrilla groups could move.

Karen State In Myawaddy Township, on April 6, nine youths who were in charge of supplying PDF files were shot dead by the BGF and the Joint Council of the Armed Forces, according to a Karen State PDF member.

A spokesman for the Karen State PDF Force, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, told RFA that the military is currently in control of Myawaddy, Karen State, and is monitoring the situation closely.

" We know that they are hiding in all parts of the township. They are waiting in civilian clothes, especially the  BGF  coalition forces. The  BGF and other groups are investigating . The military is now in control of the area around Myawaddy , " the council did not call General Zaw Min Tun, who spoke on condition of anonymity.          

Nang Lin, an alumnus of the university, told RFA that the number of arrests will continue to rise against the dictatorship.

" After the establishment of Thingyan, there was a lot of arrests and killings by the military council . These days , we are very saddened to hear that Thura Aung, the leader of the boycott in Mandalay , was being tortured during his interrogation . As usual , we are saddened .                         "They are trying their best . "

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) on April 12, a total of 1,745 people have been killed and 13,223 arrested across the country in the more than one year since the military coup.